West Cumbria Branch Newsletter

Winter 2018

Inside: Claire’s Birth Story

Tips for coping with Sleep Deprivation

Potty Training- the good, the bad and the ugly

Christmas Activity

Baby Autumn welcomes you to the Winter Edition

The National Childbirth Trust (NCT) is a company registered in England (No 2370573). Registered office: 30 Euston Square, London, NW1 2FB. Registered charity

number: 801395.

DISCLAIMER The articles in this newsletter reflect personal opinions of the writers and not

necessarily those of the National Childbirth Trust as a whole. The information in this Newsletter is for the use of NCT members only in connection with NCT activities and

may mot be used for any commercial purposes. The conditions of the Data Protection Act may apply. The appearance of an advertisement in this newsletter

does not imply endorsement of the company or its products by the NCT, nor does it constitute a recommendation. The NCT can not be held liable for any loss, damage or injury arising out of goods sold through these columns or any advertisement in

this newsletter. HOWEVER, IT IS ALWAYS WORTH MENTIONING, WHEN REPLYING TO AN ADVERT

THAT YOU SAW IT IN THE NCT WEST CUMBRIA NEWSLETTER.

Who’s who and other contacts

Ann-Marie Steel Fundraising lead Breastfeeding counsellor 07900 904054

Hannah Gillam Treasurer

Lucy Moore Membership Secretary 07879 494703

Antenatal Booking Clerk Bookings2b@nct.org.uk 0844 2436970

NCT Newsletter Team: Hilary Royston-Bishop (Editor) Katie Greenough (Adverts) ncteditorwestcumbria@ yahoo.co.uk

Suzy Morgan Branch Coordinator

Hilary Royston-Bishop Parent Support Coordinator

Introduction from the branch coordinator

Hi and welcome to the Winter Edition of the West Cumbria newsletter.

There have been a few changes since the last edition, and I’ll update you

on that and some of our exciting plans for the future, as well as planned

activities in the next few months.

My name is Suzy Morgan and I’ve taken over the role of branch

coordinator from Ann Marie steel. I hope I can help to further develop the

branch, and continue the past successes.

Our branch coordinator, Ann Marie steel recently stepped down after 15

years in post - I hope you’ll join me in thanking her for her long and

dedicated service to the branch, and support to all those parents over the

last decade and a half. In addition, Ann Marie also ran the NCT antenatal

classes for many years, which will come to a close at Christmas, so Ann

Marie can focus on family and other commitments.

So, what have we got for you in the next few months? We’ll be running

our nearly new sales as usual throughout the year, and you’ll find the

dates in the newsletter. We continue to support the baby cafe in

Workington at the Minto centre, with our peer supporters alongside Ann

Marie. The coffee and cake group every Friday morning at zucchinis in

Cockermouth has been a huge success, and continues to run every

week, including school holidays.

As well as all this, we are in the midst of planning a new toddler group in

conjunction with Paddle school, and an NCTea evening group to bring

together parents-to-be in the West Cumbria area. These will start in the

new year, and you’ll hear more about them in the next few weeks.

We’ve managed to train some new peer supporters this year, and recruit

a number of new volunteers, so thank you to all those who give their

time to help out, it’s much appreciated.

I hope everyone has a great Christmas and I look forwards to seeing you

in the new year.

Contents

Page 5 Potty Training- the good, the bad and the ugly Page 11 Sleep deprivation- because who needs sleep anyway?! Page 13 Hidden Half Campaign Page 16-17 What’s on- Cockermouth, Workington & Maryport Page 18 What’s on- Whitehaven Page 20 Maternity Voices Page 22 Claire’s Birth Story Page 29 Christmas Activity- Pom Pom Push Page 30 Gestational Diabetes

Regular Events

Nearly New Sale Saturday 16th March- Eaglesfield Paddle School Saturday 22nd June- Eaglesfield Paddle School

NCT Coffee Groups

Fridays 11am-12, Wild Zucchini Bistro, Cockermouth Paddle School Playgroup- starting in January (time to be confirmed)

Baby Café

This is a breastfeeding support group. You don’t have to have breastfeeding problems to come along, they are great social support

too. Fridays 1-3pm, Workington Children’s Centre, Minto Centre

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Potty Training- the good, the bad and the ugly

There are no set rules about when to start potty training but you’ll need

to recognise the signs that your child is ready for it. We discuss five

common signs of potty training readiness.

As you have probably heard many times, every child develops at a

different pace. So its good to wait until your little one is showing you

signs that they are ready to potty train rather than their age. Focus on

whether they are ready as an individual and resist that urge to compare

them with other children of a similar age.

Wait until your child is showing the following signs of readiness and

you’ll find potty training easier, with fewer accidents.

•Your child has dry nappies for at least an hour or two at a time.

•They understand when they are having a wee and may tell you they’re

doing one.

•They recognise when they have a wet or dirty nappy and may pull at it,

take it off or ask you to change it.

•There may be visible signs your child needs to go to the toilet, like

fidgeting or going somewhere quiet or hidden.

•They know when they need to wee and may say so in advance.

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There are several different approaches you can take, our local mums

gave their stories.

What worked for us… children’s books about potty training, choosing a

potty that fitted (my little girl is tall), following their lead, no pressure

and no rewards, taking a step back if its not working. My two girls

didn’t do it at the same time, so just chill and go with the flow. One of

mine still has the odd accident when she is too involved in whatever

she is doing.

My daughter isn’t potty trained yet. We have tried and stepped back a

number of times. She knows exactly what to do when you ask her but

she gets so focused on whatever activities she is doing she forgets

about everything else. Its soul destroying at times to be honest but I

tell myself that she will be ready before she goes to school!

We started around 27 months and it probably took her 4 months to be

dry in the day. Mu mum kept advising to persevere but looking back life

might have been easier if we’d stepped back. Reward charts worked

for us in a period where the novelty had worn off for her and it seemed

like she didn’t want to stop what she was doing. Also making her help

get new clothes and get dressed again if she had an accident so it was

a bigger interruption to playing than going to the toilet. Poos were

much easier than wees for us. She is still in nappies at night (aged 3)

and they are always very wet so we’re not going to try at night for now.

Squatting over a toddler potty to do a wee in the hope of leading by

example will forever be a low point of adulthood.

I would say that because of our son’s ‘bits’ its not been easy. He will do

a wee and a poo in the potty but he just wants his nappy on!

Our daughter was about 27 months. An early sign that she was ready

was that she wasn’t weeing much during the night in her nappy but

could hear her doing it first thing in the morning. The Ikea potty was

great for my daughter as she is tall and it fits her. She went through a

phase of doing number twos in her pants. She still has the odd

accident at night but she is nappy free so it was quite quick compared

to sleeping through!!!

The NCT needs your support

The NCT is a membership charity with a difference. Anyone can use NCT services whether or not they are a member. However, membership fees support the charity and enable us to do the work we do for all parents. If you have had a baby or value the role that parents play, then please join us or make a donation and help make a difference- a difference for new parents and a difference for the next generation of babies.

NCT membership hotline: 0300 330 0700 option 3 enquiries@nct.org.uk

We tried a few times with potty training but we were doing it very

ad hoc and I think it confused her. When she got Chicken Pox we

thought it was a good time to try as she was too itchy for

clothes… with hindsight this was a bad idea! She wasn’t in the

right frame of mind and then decided she hated the potty and

refused to sit on it. A few weeks later she was asking to have

knickers and so we tried again. We used the method in “oh Crap

Potty Training” by Jamie Glowacki. It was a pretty strict method

but it worked for us. She was daytime potty trained within 3 days

and night time potty trained a week later. I was amazed. She has

had a couple of accidents since (notably two on the sofa!) but

these have been when she has been very tired. So we needed to

get in the habit of reminding her to do a wee as soon as she gets

in from nursery.

8

NCT Coffee Group

Cockermouth Fridays 11-12 Wild Zucchini Bistro, Station Street

10

Sleep Deprivation- because who needs sleep anyway?!

The early days of having a baby can be hard as the sleep deprivation

sets in. Sometimes it is even harder when they start sleeping and then

slide back at the fabled 4 month regression stage. The NCT has a helpful

page with useful tips such as:

•Cutting back to the bare minimum of priorities

•Batch cook when pregnant

•Make lists of things to do when life returns to ‘normal’

•Accept offers of help from visitors

•Rest- the idea of ‘sleeping when baby sleeps’ doesn’t work for a lot of

parents, instead the option of “rest when baby sleeps” might work better-

put the TV on, have a soak in the bath.

We asked our local mums how they cope.

Emily said “ Coffee during the day is my essential. Obviously I limit it so I

don’t have too much, but that coffee hit in the morning really helps. I also

found that side feeding in bed really helped me cope for the night feeds.”

Kelly- “For me Mindset was the key. Once I stopped comparing my baby

to everyone else’s it felt better. I had a chat with the health visitor and

she told me that its normal for babies to be up multiple times a night...

although I obviously knew that I don’t think I had really listened before. Its

very difficult not to listen to family telling you what your baby ‘should’ be

doing.”

Sarah “I am up in the night so much at the moment. He is 6 months old

and he can sense when I am not holding him! He seems to whine all

night long!”

Lynsey “I have set myself up with Netflix. It really helps me stay awake

for the night feeds and stops me falling asleep mid-feed”.

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Hannah “I have a TV in the bedroom, its good to take your mind off the

feed so you aren’t clock watching in the night. I like to watch the food

channel or bing watch shows. I also like texting other people that I know

will be awake as well. Mind set was helpful remembering that its ok, I

have nothing THAT important tomorrow. I can just rest if I need to and

remembering that this wont last forever!”

Suzy “When we were getting up 4 times a night, I used to have a small

bedside light that was touch sensitive and had a very low setting. I’d put

that on the lowest setting, sit up and feed in bed. I found the best thing

to do to try and get to sleep as quickly as possible was to resist

checking the time every time I was woken up, or I’d just get frustrated,

and I also stopped checking my phone or internet, checking the phone

seemed to make it harder to switch off. Having extra pillows under my

arms whilst feeding also helped to stop me from sliding down if I fell

asleep, and stopped me from getting numb arms too....

I wasn’t good at sleeping when the baby slept as I always had things I

wanted to do, but I did try to sit and read a book occasionally, or do

something that wasn’t tidying when she did sleep.

Also, if I was really tired, sometimes just going for a walk with the pram

round town and, once she was asleep in the pram, sitting on a sofa and

having a coffee. Getting out of the house and sitting in a cafe forced me

to make the effort to get out, but also meant when I sat down to have a

drink I couldn’t start all the housework that needed doing as I wasn’t at

home.”

Use this space to work for you… Take out an advert at a highly competive rate and support the NCT charity

at the same time.

Full page £30 plus VAT (£90 per year)

Half page £18 plus VAT (£60 per year)

Quarter page £9 plus VAT (£30 per year)

For colour advertising contact us for a quote.

For more information email ncteditorwestcumbria@yahoo.co.uk

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It’s common for new mothers to suffer from postnatal mental illness,

but only half receive the treatment they need. This can be fixed with

some simple and low-cost changes to our health system. We surveyed

1,000 women who had recently had a baby and found that half had

had a mental health or emotional problem postnatally or during

pregnancy. Of these women, nearly half hadn’t had their problem

identified by a health professional and hadn’t received any help or

treatment. Many of these new mothers said they were too

embarrassed or afraid of judgement to seek help.

95% of mothers who had a mental health problem said that this had an

impact on their ability to cope as a mother or on their family. We think

all new mothers with a mental health problem should get the treatment

or support they need. The first step is making sure that they get the

problem identified and diagnosed by a health professional.

A simple low-cost solution

We’re demanding better six week postnatal check-ups so that all new

mothers with a mental health problem can access the treatment

available.

You can help

Go to www.nct.org.uk/get-involved/campaigns/hidden-half-campaign to

find out how you can help.

Hidden Half Campaign

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What’s on- Winter 2018

Follow us on Facebook, we have our own page: West Cumbria NCT with all times and venues of our groups.

MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY

AM

0930-1100 Baby & Toddler group, Eaglesfield village hall

First Tuesday of month, playgroup at Paddle School. 0915-1130

All Saints school Toddler Group, 0930-1100

Music Makers, Cockermouth URC 0930

Time Together, Cockermouth Childrens centre, 2nd and 4th Fridays, 0930-1100

0930-11:00 Great Broughton Mother and baby group, Village Hall

Dean Ducklings, 0930-1130

Brigham Baby and Toddler: 1000-1130

URC Toddler Group, 10am, URC cockermouth

NCT Coffee and Cake Group. Wild Zucchinis, Cockermouth 11-12

0930-1100 Parent and Toddler Group, St Joseph, Cockermouth

Fairfield Playgroup 0930-1100. Fairfield School

1000-1100 Buggyfit- Cockermouth

Lorton St, Methodist Church playgroup 0930-1100

Little Fidgets, Dearham, 0900-1100.

1000 URC Toddler Group, URC Cockermouth

Time Together- Minto Centre, Workington 1000-1130

0915- 1045 Bassenthwaite School

1015 Wild Things, Forest School, Cockermouth

Lorton Playgroup, 09:30-1100, tennis pavillion

0930-1230 Musical Magic, Cockermouth Scout Hut- various classes

Rhythm and Rhyme 1030-1130 Egremont CC

Cockermouth Health Visitor, Childrens centre every 4th Week.

First Friday of the month, St Jospehs Primary School Toddler Group 0915-1045

Baby Bunch 10-11:30 Hensingham CC

Cockermouth Bookshop, stories and songs 0930-1000

Crawlers and Explorers, St Michaels School, Bothel, 1000

Theatre by the Lake- Storytelling 1030-1115

Please email ncteditorwestcumbria@yahoo.co.uk to add groups or amend details.

MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY

PM

1300-1400 La'al Linguist, Cockermouth Scout hut

1300-1400 Baby Yoga,

Cockermouth Pilates Studio.

1300-1500 Bridekirk Playgroup, St Bridgets room, Bridekirk church

Tumble Tots, Braithwaite, various class times

1300-1500 Baby Café, Workington

Time Together- Maryport 1300-1430

1330-1500 Baby and Toddler Group- Highfield Community Centre, Highfield Road, Cockermouth

13:30-1430 Toddler and Baby Music Group, Kirkgate (from 5 months)

Baby Bunch 1230-1400 South Whitehaven CC

1315-1445 Lets go exploring, Keswick Childrens centre

Time Together- Minto Centre, Workington 1300-1430

Baby Bunch 1300-1430 Egremont CC

1300-1430 Breast Friends, Howgill Centre, Whitehaven

Baby Bunch 1300-1430 Cleator Moor CC

1300-1400 Post Natal Pilates, Cockermouth Pilates Studio

Rhythm and Rhyme 1400-1500 Hensingham CC

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West Cumbria NCT Branch Nearly New Sales, Socials and meetings find out what is happening locally West Cumbria Maternity Voices Follow this page to learn about how you can be involved in the maternity voices, find out what’s going on and what’s being discussed. https://www.facebook.com/WestCumbriaMVP/ Workington Baby Café This is the facebook page for the breastfeeding support group in Workington facilitated by our breastfeeding counsellor Ann-Marie The Dad Network Parenting, from a Dad’s perspective Breastfeeding Older Babies and Beyond A support group for anyone wanting to breastfeed past 12 months. Together we carry Sling hire and library. Sessions held in Whitehaven and Workington

Cockermouth babies and toddlers – activities and events This group provides a one stop shop for any baby groups, activities, events and classes going on in Cockermouth. Barnardo’s allerdale children’s centres Provides early help and outreach services for families with children up to the age of 12. Lots of local groups and activities to join in with e.g. baby massage. All activities free The Lake District Parent and Baby Walking group This facebook group of like minded parents plans walks to do with babies in slings. This is a new group launched in August 2018.

Useful Facebook Forums and groups

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We have launched our new webpage at: https://www.wnecumbriamvp.co.uk/

Please share your Cumbrian maternity stories with us- the good, bad and ugly.

You can fill in our feedback form on our

website on the contact page or get in touch with the following social media accounts.

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How joining the NCT can help our work £10 will pay for 5 new mums to receive support from our Breastfeeding Helpline, increasing their confidence to maintain breastfeeding. £15 enables NCT to meet the information needs of 90 visitors to our website £20 enables NCT to distribute 40 DVDs providing accessible and practical information to 40 expectant parents £50 will enable NCT to provide peer support to 10 new parents through local community activities When you’re a member, you’ll also get exclusive access to: * priority entry and the chance to grab a bargain at our famous NCT Nearly New Sales * our inspiring and informative quarterly parenting magazine, NCT Matters * special discounts at NCT Shop and our new Eco Range * low-cost holidays using our members only NCT family house swap holidays * informal and organised social events and the chance make friends with other parents * get involved in your local branch activities and receive their regular newsletters and updates To join the NCT please visit: www.nct.org.uk/get-involved/become-nct-member NCT Helpline 0300 330 0700 Nct.org.uk/info-centre- NCT’s information centre provides and exhaustive guide to every stage of pregnancy. www.nhs.uk/dads- NHS guide to having a baby with a specific dad’s section www.fatherhoodinstitute.org- practical support and guidance for dads and dads-to-be. www.dad.info- information on all aspects of fatherhood.

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Claire’s Birth Story

I awoke at 2:00am with my body being overtaken with Adrenaline. She

was coming and I couldn’t help but feel alone in this journey even though

my partner was laying right next to me in bed. I froze, there in the

darkness, the silence growing in my mind.

The only words that I thought were, “what do I do now?”

Even though I felt like I had been preparing for this moment for the last 9

months, when It actually came to it I had to remind myself of the

Hypnobirthing techniques and actually Google ‘What do I do when my

water breaks?’ I felt so stupid for having to Google it and that the

meditation wasn’t an automatic reaction to the sensations in my body. It

was incredibly difficult to think clearly as waves of hormones coursed

through my body.

All I could remember was some helpful advice, of which was “Remember

that you are in control. The people you have chosen to be a part of your

birth story are your team players and you are the captain.” This gave me

the encouragement to wake my partner and tell him the news that I

believed my water had broken. It’s strange how I felt a fear of disturbing

Derek - my deeply cherished and loved partner, but the fear had taken

over and it was time I needed some help. The pain came in surges and

reminded me of the feeling when you wake up early one morning,

dreading going to school because you have just started your period, and

your stomach is a huge, sickly knot. All you can do is just continue with

your day as best as you can and just deal with it.

We called the hospital and they contacted my midwife to tell them our

news. Anna said she could be at our house by 9:00am. I remember

thinking by 9:00am I will be in the deep of it and I couldn’t help but feel I

needed her here quicker than that. I kept my calm and accepted

whatever will be, will be. I had planned to have a home water birth using

a Tens Machine before hand, gas and air and the water as pain relief. I

felt like if I hadn’t had planned a water birth I would have been kicking

myself in the future for not trying it, even though my sub-conscious knew

my baby wanted to be born closer to the Ocean than she was i.e. West

Cumberland Infirmary.

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I was fully aware that I had to be as flexible as possible with my birthing

plan, as a high percentage of home birthing women end up at the

hospital anyhow.

By 8:00am it was all hands on deck as mum made up a bed in the living

room, Derek was filling the birthing pool and I was cramming as much

food into my system as possible to prepare for what I now felt was going

to be a very long day.

I was right! Fifteen hours had gone past and I was still in agonizing pain

with my contractions getting more intense and closer together in time.

Ever time Anna would go to try and describe what was happening,

another surge would begin and my other senses would block so that I

couldn’t really understand what “back to back” meant. I remember my

knees hurting the most. No matter what position I was in they and my

stomach were cramping up.

I was getting weaker. I fell into Derek’s arms trying to release the pain

through tears. He held me tight as we stood together, united as one.

We used the birthing pool more like a warm bath to ease the pain. It

helped so much! I remember looking up at Anna with my face all

scrunched up thinking "this isn’t how I imagined birth would go.” I had

only dilated 3cm in the whole of 15 hours and at this point the midwives

had to change shifts. A Phenomenon happened as our newly arrived

midwife came with the news that her partner midwife had had an

accident with her foot and was currently at the A&E. The options then

were to wait and see if she would be okay to help come deliver our baby

or to go to the hospital.

It was a blessing in disguise, really. Almost as if the universe was telling

me that it was time for me to go to the hospital to seek some proper pain

relief. And by this time, I didn’t care what drugs they gave me just so long

as the pain eased!

I chose a home birth because I felt that this process was sacred and I

wanted to be as comfortable as possible in a loving, home-environment

with calming music and family support. I also had a major stress of not

having a car. I couldn’t ride in an ambulance as it wasn’t classed as an

emergency and - due to insurance reasons, we couldn’t get a lift with the

midwife.

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Mum mustered up the courage to knock on the neighbours door. 76 year

old football fan, Bob, opened the door. It was 5 minutes before the World

Cup finals started. You can imagine that it was the most silent 23 minute

ride in a car that anyone had ever experienced. We could not have

thanked Bob enough for his loving generosity for giving us a lift to the

hospital.

Our midwife wished us luck and left me with the advice that being on all

fours and using gravity to help ease the pain would assist during the

remaining labour period, considering that baby and I were back to back.

Even one millimetre of spine-to-spine separation that was created by

gravity would help immensely.

My mother, Derek and I quickly settled into the private birthing-pool room

in the hospital. They helped me onto the bed, gave me my plush

monkey, massaged my head and put lavender under my nose. I asked

the midwife for a morphine injection to help ease the pain so that I could

get some rest. One of the last things I remember is taking a bite of a

Tuna Sandwich. (I wouldn’t ever recommend that during labour!) Being

fed tomato soup through a straw is much better to keep your strength

up.

My family made it as cosy as possible in our birthing room with our

personal possessions. It was beginning to get dark and, because of the

injection for pain relief, I dozed off. To opt for that injection was the best

decision I ever made!! Through the night, I would wake up to see Derek

keeping an eye out on me, helping me with whatever it was that I

needed. The green ambient light in the room comforted me and was

perfect for getting to the toilets and back without waking mum.

She had finally managed to clam down enough to make a little camp-like

bed and rest as well as she could. Time flew by!

Five hours later I would wake up to the weird feeling that I was going to

pee myself, but knew i couldn’t make it to the toilet. I shouted for Mum to

quickly press the Midwife’s Call button as something was happening, but

I wasn’t quite sure what. I remember my eyes widening and again a

sense of silence as my water broke. I soaked both the Tens Machine and

myself! I asked for help to get out of my top and stop the tens machine

so i didn’t get shocked. It turns out that only my upper water broke - not

the entirety of it, when I was at home.

Our little baby girl loved kicking my ribs so maybe she kicked hard

enough to burst a section of my water before she was really ready to

come out. All that pain whooshed out with the soaking sensation of

warm water. I felt so alive! I had dilated from 3 cm to 10 cm in my

sleep!

It had been 31 hours in total until it really got to the point where I felt

like I was ‘pushing’. I would control my breath, inhaling as much NOS

as possible before tensing up my muscles from my mid back right down

to my pelvic floor muscles. I didn’t know exactly which part of my body I

was meant to be tensing to help push her out so I tensed them all.

Squeezing Derek’s hand and feeling my Mum’s warmth by my feet, my

cheerleading midwives helped me control my warrior goddess

screams.

After what seemed like forever and continued contractions, a doctor

entered the room to check in on my progress. I was not prepared for

anything going up my vagina when I was in labour, but it happened. He

put his full hand in there and swiped his fingers between our baby’s

head and my cervix. I cannot describe the intense pain that I was

experiencing. Derek said that I even cussed at the doctor. I am really

not a person who normally swears so aggressively. However, it just so

happens that my cervix was still connected in two places and he had to

disconnect them during my contractions. My pain threshold was pushed

to it’s limit!

After our moment of screaming agony, the doctor suggested a C-

Section because too much time had gone by since labour began and he

only managed to disconnect one of the two parts of my cervix that were

making my labour so difficult.

I couldn’t bear it! After all the careful planning and desire to have a

natural birth there was no way I could have consciously brought out

little baby bear into the world through a Caesarean Section. Especially

when I knew were were so close.

He allowed me another hour before checking in on me again.

I realized that the final stage of giving birth to our baby could not have

been more unbearable than whatever the doctor had done to me. I

squeezed and pushed and shouted as hard and as loud as I could! An

odd popping feeling happened and there was instant relief. My guess is

that it was my cervix finally fully opening.

I remember my mum yelling out that I could do it.

Years of encouragement linked to her voice and these words filled my

body with confidence. She was right - I could do it. A supreme power

was then unlocked! Again, squeezing Derek’s hand and smashing

myself in the face with the Gas and Air, I tried as hard as I could to give

birth. I was getting weak again and I felt like I was close to giving up

when, all of a sudden, I was able to see my baby's head for the first time

in the mirror. I felt the top of her soft hair for the first time and the

understanding flowed through me that I was about become a mother.

Derek’s warmth and masculine power vibrated next to me. The rest of

the room was filled with feminine energy and oxytocin as her head

crested and finally her body was massaged out by the midwife. Derek

said it looked pretty harsh when the midwife squeezed the rest of her

body out.

I closed my eyes the last ten minutes of labour to connect with my body

and feel deeply what it was like to give birth. My vision was filled with

pure light and sparkles! I felt her body leave mine- she was here. Our

little baby bear had finally made it without us having to go into theatre.

Mum gave me and Derek some space so we could bond as a new

family. This tiny little baby lay there, warm and wet on my stomach with

her arms sprawled out. She was calm with no words to say or cry to be

had. She looked up at me with deep dark blue eyes, reflecting the same

emotion I had on my face….Relief.

My heart felt like it had stopped for a moment in time. I just stared at

her, the shock of this new feeling running through me. I was in awe at

how perfectly formed she was, with rolls of baby fat on her tiny arms

and her soft belly touching mine. She cried out for the first time. I looked

over at Derek to see his teary eyes and immediately realised how

emotionally hard my labour had been for him as well.

I felt a a warm energy bubble protect the three of us. All I could see and

feel was my new family together for the first time. We did a delayed

chord clamping with the Gas and Air to deliver the placenta. The

midwife and I couldn’t help but laugh when Derek told Autumn, “I am

your father” to the sound of me inhaling the NOS. Trust him to fit in

some sort of Star Wars quote during labour to make everyone crack up.

Oh how I love him for making us giggle.

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After this amazingly long ordeal, I began to feel like a princess. I had a

shower and Sunday Dinner with my mum and Derek. My Dad, his partner

and my little Sister came to visit us in the Hospital. It was amazing to see

the smile on my Dad’s face when he first got to hold her!

Born at 8:30am at 7lbs 12 ounces, her eyes were wide and peering into

the world with wonder from the moment she came out. She quickly

became the most popular gal in town. After her check up and receiving

her little red book we were allowed to leave the hospital. With Baby

Autumn bundled up in a hand knitted teal and yellow blanket, she looked

like a little Glow Worm. After a quick thanks to all the wonderful Midwives

and a snap of us carrying Autumn in her little car seat, we stepped out

into the bright Sunday light as new parents!

Before walking into our home, we went next door to Bob’s to introduce

him to Autumn and thank him, ever so graciously for his help.

“A goddess” he said as his eyes lit up. And she truly is.

I took the placenta home and buried it under a tree which is just out back

from our house. This tree had given me so much support and comfort

over the months leading up to Autumn’s birth that I felt like we grew

together. I wanted to offer a part of myself to this tree as a thanks for the

support. Plus I thought it would be nice for Autumn to one day come and

visit her placenta-tree when she was older. If she wished.

The burial ceremony also helped me to get over my fear of blood and

build a stronger connection with nature. I dried out her umbilical cord with

blessed salt and herbs and now keep it with her crystals at my beside as

a reminder of the most incredible day of our lives.

The sense of accomplishment, my achievement and my personal pride

pulsed through my body for days, healing away any memories linked with

the pain and struggles of labour.

We were now a new family, glowing and ready to take the first steps of

the biggest adventure of our lives.

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Baby and children’s clothes, toys, books, equipment and maternity wear

Sat 16th March Eaglesfield Paddle School

9.30am - 11am Admission £1.

Doors open 9am for NCT members-please bring your membership card.

For more information & to register as a seller or helper,

please email: NNS.WestCumbria@nct.org.uk

If you do not have access to email, phone Ann-Marie on 07900 904054

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Christmas Activity- Pom Pom Push

This is a fun game to make with your toddler. You will need:

• A cardboard box

• A piece of white paper

• Felt tip pens

• Pom poms of different colours

• Glue

• Scissors

Step 1

Cover the cardboard box with a piece of

paper

Step 2

Draw a picture of a christmas tree on

it. Draw baubles on with the

matching colours for the pom poms

Step 3

With sharp scissors carefully cut a

circle in the middle of the bauble.

You might need to redraw the bauble

after!

Step 4

Play the game. Get your toddler to

match the pom poms with the

corresponding bauble hole.

This can encourage fine motor skills

and colour matching.

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Gestational Diabetes

Gestational diabetes is a type of diabetes that can develop

during pregnancy. It’s temporary and should go away after your

baby is born.

If you or your partner is diagnosed with gestational diabetes, it’s good

to keep in mind that:

•Gestational diabetes can be managed safely.

•It’s fairly common for pregnant women to develop diabetes during

their pregnancy, it affects around 1 in 20 pregnant women.

•Gestational diabetes is temporary and should go once you have your

baby.

Gestational diabetes is a temporary form of diabetes that can develop

during pregnancy. It leads to high amounts of sugar in the blood but

this usually returns to normal after giving birth.

•Gestational diabetes develops if your body doesn’t produce enough

insulin for the extra needs during pregnancy. Insulin is a hormone that

helps control your blood sugar levels.

•It can occur at any stage of your pregnancy but is more common in

the second half.

•It can be managed safely and should go away after your baby is

born.

•Gestational diabetes raises the risk of you and your baby having

health problems during pregnancy and after birth. Good detection and

management of your gestational diabetes reduce the chances of

developing these health problems.

•You will be offered extra care and support to manage your diabetes

and reduce any risks to you and your baby.

Often there are no obvious symptoms that you have gestational

diabetes. Most cases are picked up when your blood sugar level is

tested during antenatal checks.

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Some women may develop symptoms if their blood sugar level gets too

high, like:

•being more thirsty than usual

•a dry mouth

•weeing more often than usual

•tiredness.

•Some of these can be common symptoms during pregnancy, so aren't

necessarily a sign of gestational diabetes. Do speak to your midwife or

GP if you're worried.

Controlling your blood sugar levels during pregnancy reduces your risk

of complications. You can do this through healthy eating and regular

exercise. Some women may also need medication.

Find out more about gestational diabetes and how to manage it from

the NHS Choices website. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/gestational-

diabetes/